Hist140 Wiki
HERE YE, HERE YE: If multiple people edit the same page at once, only the last person's contributions will be saved. To protect your work and that of others, please write up what you wish to contribute in a word processor or text editor and copy/paste them in. Thanks, Wpetry 01:42, April 19, 2010 (UTC). Dependency in Panama (aka Cold Bacon) Assignment: '''For the final, use this wiki as a class to draft a prompt that reflects a key theme we have discussed this semester. Then, again as a class, answer the question. The final exam is worth 200 points, or 20 percent of the course grade. Half of the grade will be for your individual contributions, and the other half will be a group grade for the overall quality of both the prompt and final essay. '''Theme: Dependency * economic * caudillos * chronologically: mining, canal, bananas, tourism so here is what I came up for a rough chronological outline and start to an intro.... Introduction -Black’s dependency theory Like the majority of its Latin American neighbors, Panama has shown a long history of dependency on foreign powers. From colonial times of Spanish rule to the recent US control of the Panama Canal, Panama’s economy has been intricately intertwined with that of a world power. It is this economic reliance that is outlined as one of the principle theories for the underdevelopment of the nation of Panama today, as well as the majority of Latin America. This theory, known as dependency theory, claims foreign investments within Latin America have only succeeded in extracting wealth from the area and hindering internal development. Supporters favor a bottom up solution to the problem of poverty in Latin America and point to internal developments, such as industrialization as key to these country's developments. Colonialism Colonial Dependency Panamanian port towns in the 1600s were dependant on the Silver Fleet from Chile to Spain for their livelihoods. For the majority of the year when the Silver Fleet was not in port the Panamanian towns were almost deserted, making them prime targets for English privateers such as Admiral Henry Morgan, evidenced by the sack of both Portobello and Panama in 1668 and 1670, respectively (Earle). The towns also depended on the Spanish fleet for news from Spain as well as supplies for defense and additional men to guard their towns (Earle). -mining -export crops Independence -caudillos (should this section go elsewhere? Wpetry 00:37, April 19, 2010 (UTC)) Neocolonialism -banana republics -railroad United States presence in Panama increased for two reasons: the California Gold Rush and construction of a trans-isthmian railroad using New York Capital and West Indies labor. The California Gold Rush in1849 lead thousands to cross Panama. New York investors of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company obtained a concession to build a trans-isthmian railroad that in effect, cut travel time from three days by mule and boat to three hours. The railroad earned more than $7 million for the New York investors in the first six years of operation. As military troops increased in the isthmus and established a secure US presence, foreign occupation prevented Panama from developing its lands and economy independently. A list of US military interventions (if table doesn't work feel free to delete) I like the table...Wpetry 00:37, April 19, 2010 (UTC) †Quotes from testimony by Secretary of State Dean Rusk in 1962 to justify possible direct intervention in Cuba. (Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Situation in Cuba; ''Michael Conniff, ''Panama and the United States: The Foreced Alliance.) -Panama Canal The Panama canal has a long history full of disputes over the building and ownership of a canal. Beginning in 1880, French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps started building the Panama canal, but to disastrous results. For instance, he did not take in consideration the differences in tides between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The French continue to work on the canal until 1889. They abandon the project after over 25,000 people died from malaria and yellow fever (French 6). The US became entangled into the affair when they aspired to become colonizers like their European counterparts. Latin America, owning to their close proximity to the United States, became a natural place to obtain colonies (Chasteen 203). In order to maintain a colonies on either side on the continent, a canal would be needed to decrease the time needed to travel from the east coast to he west coast. In 1898, the United States declared war on Spain and occupied Spanish territories in Latin America including the Puerto Rico and Cuba (Chasteen 203). Afterwards, the United States gained the Philippines and Puerto Rico and annexed Hawaii. For the US to gain an easier access to their new territories, Theodore Roosevelt proposed to complete a canal through Panama that the French had begun. At the time, Panama was a part of Columbia so Roosevelt helped separate the two which resulted in the Panamanian government allowing him to “buy the rights to build and control a canal” (Chasteen 204). Post-1979 Panama Operation Just Cause In December of 1989 the United States made a strategic military decision to invade Panama in an attempt to remove General Noriega from power; the invasion was formally known as Operation Just Cause. Other disputably justifiable reasons for the invasion include drug trafficking suspicions and to protect the human rights of Panamanian citizens as well as Americans living in the Canal Zone. The death tolls and impact on Panamanian civilians remain uncertain, however the United States succeeded in removing Noriega from power. This invasion leads to questions of dependency, as the Panamanian government was corrupt and uncontrolled by the country as a whole and outside forces were necessary to remove a dictator from power. Audra Schickler 20:44, April 20, 2010 (UTC) -tourism -continued export/transit economy In 1978 the transisthmian oil pipeline was constructed. By 1981 the pipeline had paid for itself. In 1983 the pipeline added $154 million in revenue to the economy (Zimbalist and Weeks, 1991). This made the pipeline responsible for 3.5% of Panama's GDP. This is a further example of Panamas decision to base its economy on transit services. The export of goods, particularly agricultural products increased during the 1980's (Zimbalist and Weeks, 1991). Small farms tend to produce staple crops whereas large farms produced crops for export such as bananas and sugar. So when small farms decreased and large farms increased in the 1980's the export of crops increased as well. However, since small farms decreased so too did the amount of staple crops forcing Panama to increase the import of staples from other countries. References List your cool books! Black, Jan Knippers. "Introduction: Understanding the Persistence of Inequity." In Latin America, its Problems and its Promise a Multidisciplinary Introduction, 4th ed., ed. Jan Knippers Black, 1-20. Boulder Colo.: Westview Press, 2005. Chasteen, John Charles. Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America , 2d ed. New York: Norton, 2006. “The French Era.” Timeline of Events. 2008. Panama Canal Museum. 5 Feb. 2010. Lindsay-Poland, John. Emperors in the Jungle: The hidden history of the U.S. in Panama. American encounters/global interactions. Durham: Duke University Press, 2003. Earle, Peter. The Sack of Panama: Captain Morgan and the Battle for the Caribbean. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1981. Latest activity Category:Browse